Field of the Invention
The invention concerns computer systems that are specially adapted to propagate content over a dynamic network, substantially in real time, by virtue of the locational proximity of network joined client computers. Preferably, the content will also be proximity-weighted, and more preferably also rank-weighted, topic-weighted, time-weighted, query-weighted, vote-weighted, and/or location-weighted. The invention particularly concerns such computer systems that employ more than one such weighting. The invention particularly concerns such computer systems that operate using, or through, mobile devices, particularly for distributed computing applications, including social media applications and communications applications conducted over Restricted Computer Networks.
Description of Related Art
Online social media services, such as social networking sites, search engines, news aggregators, blogs, and the like provide a rich environment for users to comment on events of interest and communicate with other users. Examples of social media services include: 43 Things®, Academia.edu®, Bebo®, Blauk, Blogster, Bolt.com, Buzznet®, CafeMom®, Care2®, CaringBridge®, Classmates.com®, CouchSurfing®, Diaspora*®, Eons.com, Experience Project, Exploroo, Facebook®, Faceparty®, Face.com®, Flixster®, Flickr®, Focus.com, Foursquare®, Friendica, Friends Reunited, Google+®, GovLoop®, Instagram®, Jaiku®, Lifeknot®, LinkedIn®, MEETin, Meetup®, MocoSpace®, MyHeritage®, MyLife®, My Opera®, Myspace®, Pinterest®, Plaxo®, ReverbNation.com, SocialVibe®, Spaces, Stage 32®, Stickam®, Talkbiznow, TravBuddy.com, Travellerspoint, tribe.net, Tumblr®, Twitter®, Vimeo®, Yammer®, and Yelp®.
Proximity analysis in social networking has been used in advertising and marketing, for example to permit merchants to more efficiently market their products and services to users (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 8,306,921 and United States Patent Publications No. 2009/0157473; 2009/0204600; 2011/0196801; 2012/0084807; 2012/0084811 and 2012/0136723 and PCT Publications No. WO 2011/097510 and WO 2013/052081). Conversely, methods of sharing multimedia have been developed that measure the distance (“hop”) between sending and receiving computers so as to provide a measure of the level of interest in such by the members of the social network (with multimedia having greater hop-distance being indicative of a higher level of interest) (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 8,260,882 and United States Patent Publication No. 2009/0157845). Proximity analysis has been proposed as a means for providing enhanced security surveillance (see, e.g., United States Patent Publications No. 2009/0292549 and 2010/0036875). Methods of information sharing associated with an event location are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,204,759 and 8,510,383 and in United States Patent Publications No. 2011/0066743 and 2011/0131144. Social networks in which participants seek help or the performance of other in the user's vicinity are described in United States Patent Publications No 2011/0238763 and 2011/0282793.
Content recommendation systems allowing users to identify friends, or recommend content or activities to friends, in their present or planned future geographic locations have been described (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 8,108,414 and United States Patent Publication No. 2011/0288912; 2012/0124059; 2013/0218967; 2013/0267251 and 2014/0047357; and PCT Publication No. WO 2013/126293).
Examples of computer system architecture for social networks or for location determination are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,818,394; 7,831,684; 7,844,671; 7,949,611; 8,073,807; 8,108,414; 8,219,500; 8,224,727; 8,266,145; 8,311,289; 8,341,162; 8,407,282; 8,473,386; 8,473,500; 8,489,516; 8,495,095; 8,504,507; 8,521,180; 8,554,868; 8,566,605; 8,601,378; 8,607,146; 8,612,869 and 8,620,828 and in United States Patent Publications No. 2014/0052544; 2014/0052795 and US 2013/0073473 and in European Patent Publication EP 2151793 and in PCT Publications No. WO 2013/154679; WO 2013/170082; WO 2013/181662; WO 2013/184407 and WO 2013/184957. In particular, such computer system architecture may have a server-centered architecture (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,676,667; 8,695,077; 8,694,579; 8,693,982; 8,693,464; 8,683,565; 8,670,414; 8,677,418; 8,676,934; 8,667,081; 8,662,386; 8,656,421; 8,647,207; 8,635,499; 8,630,867; 8,599,848; 8,601,265; 8,606,930; 8,615,010; 8,612,646; 8,619,822; 8,583,781; 8,577,954; 8,582,727; 8,560,939; 8,571,526; etc.) or a peer-to-peer architecture (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,694,587; 8,693,484; 8,693,431; 8,693,392; 8,693,391; 8,690,050; 8,689,307; 8,688,803; 8,688,801; 8,688,789; 8,688,780; 8,688,779; 8,688,111; 8,688,038; 8,687,536; 8,683,551; 8,682,495; 8,677,017; 8,676,925; 8,676,882; 8,676,855; 8,676,165; 8,671,208; 8,671,202; 8,671,188; etc.).
Methods of searching, sorting and grouping data and of displaying data on computers and mobile devices in response to user-defined criteria have also been described (see, e.g., European Patent Publications No. EP 2441039; EP 2452247 and EP 2569716; U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,091,032 and 8,145,637 and United States Patent Publications No. 2010/0045705; 2010/0082618; 2011/0238408; 2013/0127748; 2013/0182963; 2013/0218902; 2014/0046955; 2014/0052281 and 2014/0053228 and PCT Publications No. WO 2010/144766; WO 2011/005318; WO 2011/119171 and WO 2011/021202).
Despite all such advances, a need remains for computer systems that are specially adapted to propagate content over a dynamic network, substantially in real time, by virtue of the locational proximity of network joined client computers. The invention is directed to this and other needs.